An applicant may only reserve a slot on the scheduled reservation date of his or her preferred exam date. He or she must not have taken the same level of exam within the last three months.

Application through COMEX is made easy.

First, applicant shall create a user account in the COMEX website www.comex.csc.gov.ph/user. After creating a user account, applicant may then pick an exam schedule from the online offerings. A list of exam schedules with the types of exams, number of slots, date, time, and venue of personal appearance and examination may be viewed. Applicant shall receive an email confirming the slot reservation.

Once slot is confirmed, applicant makes his or her personal appearance at the CSC COMEX testing center to verify his or her identity, pay the exam fee of PHP600, and have his or her photo, biometrics, and digital signature captured.

Applicant is then ushered to the computer room where he or she would take the test. The Career Service Examination is a general ability test that lasts 3 hours for the Professional level and 2.5 hours for the Subprofessional level.

Test results shall be released within two weeks after the date of examination.

For further queries, contact the CSC COMEX Administrator at telephone numbers (02) 931-8163 or (02) 931-7935 local 712, 714, and 716.

Barangay officials qualify for special CSC eligibility

Elected and appointed barangay officials may apply for the Barangay Official Eligibility (BOE) issued by the Civil Service Commission (CSC).

BOE is a privilege granted to barangay officials, including Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairpersons, who have rendered at least one term of office in one barangay. Said eligibility is equivalent to a Career Service Subprofessional eligibility suitable for first level positions in government or job positions which involve clerical, trades, crafts, and custodial service.

The grant of BOE shall be based strictly on the completion of term of office. If the services rendered by the elected or appointed barangay official fall short of the completed term, he or she may be considered the grant only if the deficiency is not more than 15 days.

Barangay officials who completed their term of office before Aug. 1, 2012 may file their application for the BOE until Aug. 1, 2014, after which the CSC shall stop issuing BOEs to barangay officials with completed terms before Aug. 1, 2012.

Barangay officials who completed their term of office on or after Aug. 1, 2012 may still apply for the BOE beyond Aug. 1, 2014.

Appointive barangay officials such as the Barangay Treasurer and Barangay Secretary who were appointed by the Punong Barangay and are related to the latter up to the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity shall not qualify for the BOE. The applicant shall submit a notarized affidavit stating that he or she is not related up to the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity to the appointing Punong Barangay.

Application may be filed at the CSC Regional or Field Office with jurisdiction over the barangay concerned. Application fee is PHP500.

Policies on the grant of BOE are stated in CSC Memorandum Circular No. 13, s. 2012. Form and requirements for application are available at the CSC website www.csc.gov.ph.

For more information on the Barangay Official Eligibility, please contact any CSC Regional or Field Office.

Application for Foreign Service Officer exam ongoing

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) will administer the Career Service Examination for Foreign Service Officer (CSE-FSO) in select testing centers across the country on Aug. 10.

Applications may be filed until June 13, 2014 at any Regional Consular Office of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), or at Philippine embassies or consulates abroad; and until June 20, 2014 at the DFA Board of Foreign Service Examinations, Pasay City. Applicants should submit their applications in person.

Conducted in collaboration with the DFA, the CSE-FSO is the qualifying test of the five-part Foreign Service Officer Examination (FSOE) of the DFA. As such, passing the CSE-FSO is a requisite to be able to proceed to the succeeding parts of the FSOE: Preliminary Interview, Written Test, Psychological Test, and Oral Test. The FSOE is administered by the DFA to recruit candidates for the foreign service corps.

The CSC shall confer the Career Foreign Service Officer Eligibility to passers of the CSE-FSO. Said eligibility, like the Career Service Professional Eligibility, is appropriate to first level (clerical) and second level (technical) positions in government that do not involve practice of profession and are not covered by special laws.

Details on application requirements and procedure, list of testing centers, and application form are posted on the DFA website www.dfa.gov.ph.

Duque reiterates gov’t fight against red tape

“The head of office or agency shall be primarily responsible for the implementation of the Anti-Red Tape Act,” said Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chairman Francisco T. Duque III upon the release of CSC Memorandum Circular No. 9, s. 2014 reiterating agency compliance with the landmark law aimed at curbing red tape and improving frontline service delivery.

“It is command responsibility,” added Chairman Duque, detailing that appropriate charges may be filed against the head of office or agency in case of failure to comply with the Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA) rules.

The memo enumerated other pertinent provisions of the ARTA and its implementing rules and regulations.

The Citizen’s Charter, an information billboard listing the step-by-step procedure of services available, the person responsible for each step, time needed to transact, documents required, and fees, should be posted at the main entrance or most conspicuous place in the office written either in English, Filipino, or in the local dialect.

The office or agency shall review the Citizen’s Charter whenever necessary but not less than once every two years.

Heads of offices or agencies which render frontline services shall adopt appropriate working schedules to ensure that all clients who are within their premises prior to the end of official working hours are attended to and served even during lunch break and after regular working hours.

Officers or employees at the frontlines or those directly transacting with the clients shall wear an official identification card.

Offices shall establish a public assistance and complaints desk which should be manned during working hours.

Fixing and collusion with fixers are considered grave offenses with a corresponding penalty of dismissal and perpetual disqualification from public service. Penalties for fixers are imprisonment not exceeding six years, a fine of not more than PHP200,000, or both fine and imprisonment at the discretion of the court.

The end goal of ARTA is excellent public service and customer satisfaction. The public must see improvements in their overall experience in transacting with government.

CSC already started the Report Card Survey for 2014, an annual nationwide client satisfaction survey to check agency compliance with ARTA. The following service offices shall be subjected to the survey: Bureau of Internal Revenue, Government Service Insurance System, Home Development Mutual Fund, Land Registration Authority, Land Transportation Office, Philippine Statistics Authority – National Statistics Office, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, Professional Regulation Commission, and Social Security System.

Australia and the Philippines are strengthening their partnership to build up the Philippines’ human resource industry as the country gets ready for 2015 ASEAN economic integration.

Over a thousand Filipino public and private human resource (HR) and organisational development (OD) experts gathered together in Cebu City for the HR Symposium 2014. The event is a joint undertaking of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the Australian Government through the Philippines Australia Human Resource and Organisational Development Facility (PAHRODF).

The HR Symposium 2014, with its theme “Gearing Towards ASEAN Integration through Strategic HR”, highlighted the vital role of strategic HR in the upcoming economic integration of ASEAN member states including the Philippines. It also served as a venue for HR and OD practitioners from the government and private sector to exchange strategic HR applications, solutions and best practices that will help the Philippines move toward ASEAN integration in 2015.

“Economic advancement relies on human resources. Unless people have equal access to education, training and capacity building, the Philippines may be deprived of a large pool of creative thinkers and entrepreneurs. The Civil Service Commission’s task as the central human resource institution of the Philippine bureaucracy is to ensure that the government’s human resource is set to achieve the development and societal goals of the country,” said Chairman Francisco Duque III, MD, MSc, Chairman, Civil Service Commission.

Human resource development and capacity building is one of the areas of cooperation identified in the ASEAN integration in 2015, which means investing inhuman resource development to have the right structures, business processes, systems, people, and competencies to support the ASEAN integration.

The Australian Government has been a committed partner of the Philippine Government in building human resource management and development. The Australian Government’s flagship program on HR and OD, the Philippines Australia Human Resource and Organisational Development Facility (PAHRODF), has been helping Australia’s partner government agencies improve their processes, structures, skills set, and behaviour to enable positive change and continuous improvement.

Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Bill Tweddell said, “Australia is a long-time supporter of ASEAN’s efforts to achieve regional economic integration. In fact, Australia became the first Dialogue Partner of ASEAN in 1974. This partnership has developed over the years and has deepened relations in all fields, including political, economic, and socio-cultural cooperation. Needless to say, a highly skilled and competent workforce is crucial in realising the initiatives for ASEAN connectivity.”

“The Australian Government is honoured to be a partner of the Philippines, particularly the Civil Service Commission, in promoting a functioning, responsive and capable public service ready to take on the challenges of the ASEAN integration.”

Australian Embassy Deputy Head of Mission David Dutton attended the HR Symposium in Cebu City, along with international HR gurus including Mr. Ong Teong Wan of the ManagementWise (International) Pte Ltd in Singapore, Prof. Dr. Endang Wirjatmi Trilestari, M. Si of the National Institute of Public Administration Republic of Indonesia, and Ms. Ann Rolfe of Mentoring Works in Australia. ENDS

Based on regional profiles, a bulk of the new Fire Officer eligibles, numbering 193 or 23.94 percent of the total FOE passers, came from Northern Mindanao. On the other hand, passers of the POE are concentrated in NCR where 85 or 30.58 percent came from.

Meanwhile, the profile of passers showed that both examinations were dominated by males, registering at 556 for the FOE and 198 for the POE, against 249 FOE female passers and 80 POE female passers.

Majority of passers for both FOE and POE belonged to age bracket 25 to 31 years and listed entrance to service as their primary reason for taking the examinations.

A higher number of POE passers chose Metro Manila and Luzon areas as their place of work, while a bulk of FOE passers cited Mindanao area as their preferred place of work.

The resulting eligibilities, which are the Fire Officer Eligibility and the Penology Officer Eligibility, are both second level eligibilities that are appropriate for second level ranks in the fire protection and jail management and penology services, respectively, and other functionally related services. The appropriateness of these eligibilities, though, does not include ranks under the Philippine National Police.

The complete list of successful examinees of the March 2 FOE and POE may be accessed at the CSC website www.csc.gov.ph.

For requirements and procedures on the release of the Certificate of Eligibility, passers are advised to contact the CSC Regional Office concerned.

HR industry gears for 2015 ASEAN integration

The Civil Service Commission (CSC), with the support of the Australian Government through the Philippines–Australia Human Resource and Organisational Development Facility (PAHRODF), will hold the 2014 Human Resource Symposium on April 24 to 25 in Cebu City.

Over a thousand public and private HR practitioners will gather for the symposium with the theme “Gearing toward ASEAN Integration through Strategic HR.”

Registration for the HR Symposium ends on April 11. Interested participants may register online at www.csc.gov.ph/hr.

For more details, contact Ms. Bobot Atanacio or Ms. Matet Diño of the Civil Service Institute at (02) 931-4182.

Veterans’ children given chance to have civil service eligibility

Veterans’ children can apply for the Veteran Preference Rating Eligibility (VPRE), a special rating granted by the Civil Service Commission.

This was announced by the Civil Service Commission in line with the celebration of the Philippine Veterans Week.

If a veteran, his/her spouse, or any of the children who took the Career Service (Professional or Subprofessional), Fire Officer, or Penology Officer Examinations failed, he/she may apply for the VPRE which gives additional ten points to the failed rating, as per Executive Order No. 132 dated 1948 and EO No. 790 dated April 3, 1982.

A veteran shall include any person who has served in the regularly constituted Armed Forces of World War II or in the non-regularly organized unit in the Philippines during World War II and whose services are duly recognized by the Government.

Filing of applications for VPRE can be done at any CSC Regional Office by the applicant or through an authorized representative.

Application fee for the VPRE is PHP500.

The date of effectivity of the VPRE shall be the date of approval of an application by the CSC. The appropriateness of the VPRE depends on the kind/level of examination to which the VPRE is applied.

Documentary requirements are posted on the CSC website www.csc.gov.ph.

Close to 200,000 examinees will take the Career Service Examinations on
April 6 in 52 testing centers nationwide.

Metro Manila has the highest concentration of examinees with a total of 31,640.

Other regions with large numbers of examinees are Southern Luzon (Region 4) with 28,404; Central Luzon (Region 3) with 13,500; SOCCSKSARGEN (Region 12) with 12,734; and Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9) with 12,553.

86.49 percent or 171,684 will take the Professional level while the rest will take the Subprofessional level.

Examinees may inquire about their school assignments at the Civil Service Commission (CSC) Regional or Field Office.

CSC advises examinees to visit their assigned school at least a day before exam date.

School assignments of examinees are also posted at the CSC website www.csc.gov.ph

Reminders

On exam day, examinees are required to bring the valid ID they presented during application, as well as the examination slip issued to them.

Failure to take the test will mean forfeiture of examination slot. No refund and no request for reschedule will be allowed.

Exam coverage

The Career Service Examination is a general ability test which covers the following subject areas: vocabulary, grammar and correct usage, paragraph
organization, reading comprehension, analogy, logic, and numerical reasoning for the Professional level.

Both levels have general information questions on the Philippine Constitution, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees (Republic Act No. 6713), peace and human rights issues and concepts, and environment management and protection.

The Professional level is three hours and 10 minutes long with 170 items, while the Subprofessional level lasts two hours and 30 minutes with 165 items.

Examinees need to obtain a rating of 80 percent to pass the exams.

Eligible to enter the civil service

Passers of the Career Service Examinations will be conferred an eligibility needed for permanent appointment in government positions.

The civil service eligibility, however, does not apply to positions that involve practice of profession or are covered by special laws.

The second written Career Service Examination for the year is scheduled on Oct. 26. Application will be from April 7 to Sept. 11 at any CSC Regional or Field Office.

Qualification, application requirements, and other related information about the civil service exams are posted on the CSC website.

CSC reminds the public that it does not produce any review material nor does it conduct or accredit any review center for the Career Service Examinations.

Crackdown on non-filers of SALN begins

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has filed show cause orders to 43
government employees who failed to submit their 2012 Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).

Records from the CSC Integrated Records Management Office (IRMO) show that 2,029 employees did not file their SALN. While 99 percent of the 204,055 personnel from 313 agencies required to submit their SALN to the CSC complied.

The show cause order will require the employee to explain in writing the
reason of his/her failure to submit the SALN. If there is sufficient evidence of non-filing, the employee will be formally charged with an administrative offense of failure to file SALN.

Other cases of non-filing of SALN have been referred to heads of agencies for appropriate disciplinary action as the latter have concurrent disciplinary jurisdiction
with the CSC over their respective personnel.

Republic Act No. 6713 or the Code of Conduct of Public Officials and Employees requires all state workers whether regular or under temporary status to file a SALN on or before April 30 of every year declaring their net worth as of December 31 of the preceding calendar year.

Officials and employees of departments, bureaus, and agencies of the national government, judiciary, constitutional commissions, government-owned and
controlled corporations and their subsidiaries; appointive officials and employees of the legislative branch; central officers below the rank of colonel/naval captain and
civilian personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines; and other uniformed and non-uniformed central officials and employees of the Philippine National Police,
Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and Bureau of Fire Protection are required to submit their SALN to the Civil Service Commission.

Failure to file SALN is punishable with suspension of one to six months for the first offense, and dismissal from service for the second offense.

Model employees could be next Presidential awardees

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) encourages agency heads to forward their PRAISE (Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence) awardees as nominees to the 2014 Search for Outstanding Public Officials and Employees.

Deadline of nominations to the 2014 Search is on March 31.

The local rewards mechanism of government departments or agencies dubbed as PRAISE recognizes an employee’s outstanding work performance in his/her agency or his/her idea or invention that improved government operations.

Over the years, agencies have been CSC’s partners in searching for public service exemplars as they are responsible for nurturing the culture of ethics and excellence among their employees. The Commission sees the agencies’ pool of PRAISE awardees as a potential source of nominees to the Search.

The Search for Outstanding Public Officials and Employees forms part of CSC’s Honor Awards Program (HAP). There are three award categories.

The Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award is conferred to an individual or group for exceptional or extraordinary contributions that had nationwide impact.

The Outstanding Public Officials and Employees or the Dangal ng Bayan Award is conferred to an individual for performance of extraordinary act or public service and consistent demonstration of exemplary ethical behavior on the basis of his/her adherence to the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

The Civil Service Commission Pagasa Award is given to an individual or group of individuals for outstanding contributions that directly benefit more than one department of the government.

“We have seen a significant improvement in the passers,” said Chairman Duque.

Duque also believes that the significant improvement could mean that agencies now see that the provisions of the ARTA are for the improvement of their frontline services.

In addition to this, with the random spot checks, dubbed ARTA Watch, which the CSC conducts from time to time, as well as the annual Report Card Survey, agencies are on high alert as the CSC strictly implements the Anti-Red Tape Act.

The evaluation of frontline services of government offices is done through the RCS, a component of Republic Act No. 9485, also known as the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007, to obtain evidence-based feedback on existence and effectiveness, as well as compliance with the agency Citizen’s Charter.

The Charter contains the types of frontline services a government agency offers with the step-by-step procedure, the person responsible for each step, time needed to transact, documents required, and fees. It is posted in conspicuous areas to make government transaction easier and transparent to the public.

“The ARTA RCS is not a perceptions survey. The survey is conducted face to face with clients who have just availed of any frontline service of the office being inspected,” explains Chairman Duque.

A service office fails the RCS when it incurs a final score that is below 70, or if it fails in one of the two core areas of ARTA.

Core 1 or compliance with ARTA provisions checks if the frontline office has a Citizen’s Charter visible to transacting clients and an anti-fixing campaign, if frontline staff wear identification cards, if there are no hidden transaction costs, if there is a manned Public Assistance and Complaints Desk, and if the frontline unit observes the No Noon Break policy.

Offices which obtained a score of 90 to 100 are rated Excellent; 80 to 89.99 Good; 70-79.99 Acceptable.

Service offices that failed the RCS will undergo the Service Delivery Excellence Program (SDEP), to be conducted by the Civil Service Commission, to determine and address problem areas in frontline service delivery.

“As the bureaucracy’s human resource institution, the CSC takes a developmental stance in implementing the ARTA. More than informing the public which offices passed or failed the annual ARTA Report Card Survey, the Commission provides various HR and organization development training programs that will aid government agencies to improve their service delivery,” said Chairman Duque.

HR symposium on ASEAN integration set

Human resource practitioners are invited to participate in the human resource symposium to be conducted by the Civil Service Commission in partnership with the Government of Australia through the Philippines-Australia Human Resource and Organizational Development Facility (PAHRODF) on April 24 to 25, 2014 at the Cebu Waterfront Hotel, Lahug, Cebu City.

With the theme “Gearing towards ASEAN integration through Strategic HR,” the symposium shall bring together local and international resource speakers who shall discuss best practices and initiatives on strategic HR, as well as development challenges of moving forward the Association of Southeast Asian Nations integration by 2015.

Registration fee of PHP7,000 includes a guidebook, training kits, meals and Certificate of Participation. This does not cover airfare and accommodation of participant.

Interested participants should register online at www.csc.gov.ph/hr on or before March 21.

For more details, contact Matet Diño of the CSC Civil Service Institute at telephone numbers (02) 931-4182 or (02) 931-7935/39 local 301 to 305.

CSC decentralizes grant of special civil service eligibilities

Applicants for special civil service eligibilities, particularly the Foreign School Honor Graduate Eligibility, Scientific and Technological Specialist, Electronic Data Processing Specialist, and Veteran Preference Rating Eligibility should file their requests with the Civil Service Commission (CSC) Regional Office.

The CSC issued CSC Resolution No. 1400186 devolving the processing of grant of special eligibilities from the central office to the CSC Regional Offices.

Those who wish to avail of the Civil Service Eligibilities granted under special laws may submit their application to the Examination Services Division of any CSC Regional Office.

Foreign School Honor Graduate Eligibility based on CSC Resolution No. 1302714, promulgated on Dec. 17, 2013, is conferred to Filipino citizens who have completed their baccalaureate degree with distinction such as summa cum laude,magna cum laude, cum laude, or its equivalent in a school, college, or university in another country.

Scientific and Technological Specialist based on Presidential Decree No. 997 is conferred on a Science and Technologist Specialist who has at least a Bachelor’s degree in natural sciences, engineering sciences, mathematics and information and communication technology, environmental science, or food science. In addition to this, he or she must have at least three years of continuous experience in research and/or teaching in the pertinent field; or has earned a master’s or doctorate degree in any of the fields of study enumerated in PD 997 (Revised 2009) from a school recognized by the Commission on Higher Education at the time of filing of application.

Electronic Data Processing Specialist based on CSC Resolution No. 90-083 is conferred on passers of the proficiency test or training course conducted by the National Computer Center on the following computer programming courses: Systems Analysis and Design, Computer Programming, Java, MS Access, and Visual Basic.

Veteran Preference Rating Eligibility pursuant to Executive Order No. 132, s. 1948 and Executive Order No. 790, s. 1982 is a special rating granted to a veteran, his or her spouse, and any of the veteran’s children. Ten points are added to the failed exam rating in any of the following CSC exams: Career Service (Professional or Subprofessional), Fire Officer, or Penology Officer Examinations.

Requirements for the special eligibilities are posted in the CSC website www.csc.gov.ph.

For more details, contact any CSC Regional Office.

Duque says client feedback crucial in fight against red tape

“Client feedback plays a key role in curbing red tape.”

Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chairman Francisco T. Duque III underscored the importance of feedback from the public themselves as the CSC released today the results of the Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA) Report Card Survey (RCS) conducted in 2013.

The evaluation of frontline services of government offices is done through the RCS, a component of Republic Act No. 9485, also known as the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007, to obtain feedback on existence and effectiveness, as well as compliance with the agency Citizen’s Charter.

The Charter contains the types of frontline services a government agency offers with the step-by-step procedure, the person responsible for each step, time needed to transact, documents required, and fees. It is posted in conspicuous areas to make government transaction easier and transparent to the public.

Results of the 2013 survey showed a significant increase in the number of offices which got an Excellent rating.

Offices which obtained an Excellent rating increased, from 8 percent in 2012 (50 service offices out of 599 surveyed) to 18 percent in 2013 (168 service offices out of 929). 60 percent or 557 offices rated Good; and 11 percent or 101, Acceptable.

Only 7 percent or 67 out of the 929 surveyed offices failed the RCS.

The CSC conducts the RCS in high-density and most complained service offices nationwide. Results of the survey are released annually. Clients are given the ARTA survey form right after they availed of a frontline service of a government office.

A service office fails the RCS when it incurs a final score that is below 70, or if it fails in one of the two core areas of ARTA.

Core 1 or compliance with ARTA provisions checks if the frontline office has a Citizen’s Charter visible to transacting clients and an anti-fixing campaign, if frontline staff wear identification cards, if there are no hidden transaction costs, if there is a manned Public Assistance and Complaints Desk, and if the frontline unit observes the No Noon Break policy.

Offices which obtained a score of 90 to 100 are rated Excellent; 80 to 89.99 Good; 70-79.99 Acceptable.

Service offices that failed the RCS will undergo the Service Delivery Excellence Program (SDEP), to be conducted by the Civil Service Commission, to determine and address problem areas in frontline service delivery.

“As the bureaucracy’s human resource institution, the CSC takes a developmental stance in implementing the ARTA law. More than informing the public which offices passed or failed the annual ARTA Report Card Survey, the Commission provides various HR and organization development training programs that will aid government agencies to improve their service delivery,” said Chairman Duque.

The results of the 2013 ARTA RCS are posted in the CSC website www.csc.gov.ph.

While the CSC is responsible for the efficient frontline service delivery of government offices by making sure that every office complies with the ARTA law, Chairman Duque said that the public should engage through client feedback.

“We would love to hear from the public via our feedback mechanisms,” said Chairman Duque.

One mechanism is through the Contact Center ng Bayan (CCB). Public can call the CCB Hotline 1-6565 or text 0908-881-6565 to report their complaints regarding frontline service delivery of government offices.

Public Assistance and Complaints Desks in government offices also have survey forms where clients can give immediate feedback after availing of a service.

CSC extends deadline for career service written exam applications

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has extended the deadline for filing of applications for the Career Service Professional and Subprofessional written examinations to Feb. 27, 2014.

The CSC will administer the examinations in 52 testing centers nationwide on April 6 this year.

Applicants must be Filipino citizens, at least 18 years old at the time of filing of application, regardless of educational attainment, and have not taken the same level of examination in less than three months.

There is no limit in taking the Career Service Examinations. An individual may take the exam regardless of the number of times he or she failed. The only condition is that the same level of examination should be taken once in every three months.

Applicants should personally file the following requirements at the CSC Regional or Field Office where they would like to take the exam: duly accomplished application form (CS Form 100, Revised Nov. 2012 downloadable from the CSC website www.csc.gov.ph); four pieces identical ID pictures; original and photocopy of a valid ID card; and PHP500 examination fee.

The Career Service Examination is a general ability test designed to measure verbal, analytical, numerical, and clerical skills for the conferment of a Career Service Eligibility, a basic requirement to enter the career service in government.

Applicants are advised to check the corresponding examination announcement posted at the CSC website for specifications of the ID pictures, list of ID cards accepted, and further details on qualifications and application requirements.

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) entered into a partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for the enhancement of the Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA) Report Card Survey (RCS), Feb. 14.

ARTA RCS is an instrument used to check agency compliance with the various ARTA provisions, to gauge citizens’ satisfaction with the quality of government services, and to ask the citizens—as clients—to directly rate the performance of government offices insofar as frontline service delivery is concerned.

The study on the ARTA RCS forms part of the Component 2 of the Integrity for Investments Initiative (i3) Project – Reducing Opportunities for Public Sector Corruption. It aims to provide the CSC with clear and implementable recommendations on how the Report Card Survey can be amended, revised, or reengineered to make the tool more effective and responsive for monitoring compliance to ARTA and anti-corruption laws and regulations.

CSC Chairman Francisco T. Duque III expressed gratitude to the USAID and the Ateneo School of Government for the project. “We are confident that, with technical experts aboard, backed by a funding agency that is committed to assist countries like the Philippines in strengthening democracy and good governance, the project will result in a more effective implementation of the Anti-Red Tape Law,” he said.

As the lead implementer of Republic Act No. 9485 or the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007, the CSC is at the forefront of cutting red tape and improving government frontline services.

The study will be conducted by the Ateneo School of Government’s Government Watch.

“We are very honored to be a small part of this visionary reform,” said USAID Deputy Mission Director Reed Aeschliman.

“Fighting corruption is complex. ARTA is an effective complement to the Office of the Ombudsman’s and the Commission on Audit’s anti-corruption efforts which the USAID also supports,” Aeschliman added.

The i3 Project is an undertaking by the Government of the Philippines and the US Government funded by the USAID that will work with anti-corruption offices to address the most serious constraints to economic growth by reducing the costs of corruption to investments and trade, thereby promoting open and fair competition.

The research study is targeted to be completed by May 2014.

Duque urges public servants to file SALN early and ‘take it seriously’

On April 30 of each year, government employees should submit a Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth, more commonly known as “SALN”.

Republic Act No. 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees requires public officials and employees to declare under oath their assets, liabilities, net worth, and financial and business interests as of December 31 of the preceding calendar year.

Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chairman Francisco T. Duque III told civil servants to begin accomplishing the form as early as now.

“Start early so that you can fill out your SALN correctly and completely. This gives you ample time to review the completeness and accuracy of your declarations before the deadline,” he said.

Filers shall use the prescribed form, SALN Form Revised 2013, downloadable from the CSC website www.csc.gov.ph. Guidelines are also available to aid public servants in accomplishing the form.

Declarations in the SALN shall have the following data: basic information, assets (real and personal properties), liabilities, net worth, financial connections and business interests, and relatives in government.

Spouses who are both in government shall have the option to file their SALN either jointly or separately.

Real properties refer to properties which are immovable by nature (i.e. house and lot, land, building, condominium unit).

Declaration of real properties shall include its description, kind, location, year and mode of acquisition, assessed value, current fair market value, acquisition cost, as well as improvements to the said properties.

Personal properties, on the other hand, refer to jewelry, appliances, furniture, motor vehicles, investments or other assets such as cash on hand, cash in bank, negotiable instruments, securities, stocks, bonds, and the like.

Declaration of personal properties shall include description, mode, year, and cost of acquisition, or the value or amount of said personal properties.

Liability refers to financial liability or anything that can result to a transfer or disposal of an asset. This includes those incurred by the declarant and also those of his/her spouse and unmarried children below 18 years old living in his/her household.

The outstanding balance shall refer to the amount of money that is still due as of December 31 of the preceding calendar year.

Net worth is the sum of all assets (real and personal) less total liabilities. In computing one’s net worth, add the acquisition cost of all real properties and the acquisition cost or amount/value of money of all personal properties, then subtract the total liabilities.

Business interests refer to declarant’s existing interest in any business enterprise or entity, aside from his/her income from government. This shall include those of his/her spouse’s and unmarried children’s (below 18 years old and living in his/her household).

Financial connections refer to declarant’s existing connections with any business enterprise or entity, whether as a consultant, adviser and the like, with an expectation of remuneration for services rendered. Declaration shall include his/her spouse’s and unmarried children’s (below 18 years old and living in his/her household) financial connections.

The declarant shall also disclose his/her relatives working in government within the fourth civil degree of relationship, either by consanguinity or affinity.

Consanguinity refers to the relationship by blood from the same stock or common ancestor, while affinity refers to the relationship of a husband to the blood relatives of his wife, or a wife to the blood relatives of her husband.

Relatives in the fourth degree of consanguinity include the declarant’s first cousin.

Declarant should also declare his/her bilas (brother-in-law’s wife or sister-in-law’s husband), inso (wife of an elder brother or male cousin), and balae (parent of the declarant’s son-in-law or daughter-in-law) in government.

Failure of any public official or employee to submit his/her SALN and/or failure to disclose or misdeclaration of any asset, liability, business interest, financial connection, and relative in the government in his/her SALN shall be punishable by law under RA 6713.

“We always say ‘Public office is a public trust.’ This piece of document we call ‘SALN’ should be taken seriously as this is our declaration of transparency and accountability,” Chairman Duque said.

Human resource management practitioners seeking to enhance their decision-making skills and knowledge in organization development are invited to attend the training courses by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) Civil Service Institute (CSI).

For the month of February 2014, three public offerings are open to HR managers in the public or private sector.

Ethical Decision-Making, Feb. 12-13, is a course that provides structured learning exercises in articulating the principles in ethical decision-making. It also equips the participants with skills in recognizing and resolving ethical dilemmas in the workplace. Deadline of registration is on Feb. 7.

Decision-Making and Risk Analysis, Feb. 20-21, introduces strategies on identifying, managing, mitigating, and evaluating risks. The course also provides tools to address potential problems that could disrupt organizational thrusts and operations. Deadline of registration is on Feb. 17.

Organization Development (OD), Feb. 27-28, is a course that provides the HR manager a planned, systematic process of improving organizational effectiveness and employee well-being. It addresses the challenges of changing behaviors, knowledge explosion, workforce diversity, among other organizational concerns, that pose a huge demand for leaders to effectively manage the organization. Deadline of registration is on Feb. 24.

Registration fee of PHP5,000 includes training kit and meals. Registration for the courses may be done online through the CSC website www.csc.gov.ph. Reservation of slots is on a first-come, first-served basis.

As the central human resource institution of the Philippine government and adviser to the President on public personnel administration, the CSC commits to build or enhance the competencies of civil servants and strengthen the capacities of public organizations through the CSI.

For more information on the course offerings, please contact the CSI at telephone numbers (02) 931-4182 or (02) 931-7935 locals 301-305, and fax number (02) 931-8019.

CSC conducts eligibility exams for the career service in 2014

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) announces the calendar of written examinations for 2014.

The Career Service Examination – Paper and Pencil Test (CSE-PPT) for Professional and Subprofessional levels are scheduled on April 6 and Oct. 26.

Filipino citizens who are at least 18 years old, regardless of educational attainment may take the CSE-PPT.

CSC allows an individual to retake the same level of exam regardless of the number of times he or she failed. However, the same level of examination should not be retaken within three months. This three-month rule does not apply to applicants who wish to take a different level of exam from the one previously taken.

Applications for the CSE-PPT may be filed at any CSC Regional or Field Office until Feb. 20, 2014.

Fire and Penology Officer exams

The Fire Officer Examination (FOE) and the Penology Officer Examination (POE) will be conducted simultaneously on March 2.

Applicants for the FOE and POE must be Filipino citizens; physically and mentally fit; of good moral character; have not been convicted of an offense involving moral turpitude; and have not been dishonorably discharged from military service or dismissed for cause from any civilian position in the government. Those with pending administrative and/or criminal cases may take the examinations without prejudice to forfeiture of the eligibility should they pass the exam but would later be convicted as a result of their pending cases.

Additional qualifications for the Penology Officer Examination are as follows: must be bachelor’s degree holders; 21 to 30 years old; at least 5’4” (1.62 m) in height for males and 5’2” (1.57 m) for females. However, these requirements shall not apply to incumbent Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) employees whose names are included in a list submitted to the CSC.

Height and age requirements are waived for incumbent employees of the Bureau of Corrections and all Provincial and Subprovincial Jails. Said personnel, though, must submit a Certification of Employment from their authorized agency official.

Also exempted from the age and height limits are former penology and correctional service agency employees on the condition that their applications are endorsed by the BJMP.

For applicants belonging to cultural communities, the CSC said the height requirement shall not apply as supported by related certification issued by the National Commission on Indigenous People or the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos.

Applications for the FOE and POE may be filed at the CSC Regional Offices in San Fernando City (La Union), Legaspi City, Iloilo City, Cebu City, Zamboanga City, Davao City, and Butuan City. In addition, applicants of the POE may file their applications at the CSC Regional Offices in Tuguegarao City, City of San Fernando (Pampanga), Cagayan de Oro City, and Baguio City.

Incumbent and former employees of penology and correctional service agencies may also file their applications at the BJMP Regional Office nearest them.

Deadline of application for the Fire Officer and Penology Officer Examinations is on January 24, 2014.

Eligibilities resulting from the Fire Officer and Penology Officer Examinations shall be considered appropriate for first and second level ranks, and corresponding functionally related ranks in the fire protection service and jail management and penology service, respectively. This eligibility does not cover ranks under the Philippine National Police.

Foreign Service Officer exams

Another eligibility exam, the Career Service Examination for Foreign Service Officer (CSE-FSO) will be conducted on Aug. 10.

The CSE-FSO is both an eligibility exam for government service and a qualifying test for the five-part Foreign Service Officer Examination administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The Civil Service Commission conducts the career service examinations for all positions in government, as well as special exams for specific job functions in different departments or agencies in government.

Application forms for the different examinations are available at any CSC Regional or Field Office. Forms and list of other documentary requirements may also be downloaded from the CSC website www.csc.gov.ph. Examination fees are PHP500 for the CSE-PPT and CSE-FSO, and PHP700 for the FOE and POE.

For more information on the civil service exams, contact the CSC Examination, Recruitment, and Placement Office at telephone numbers (02) 931-7935, (02) 931-7939, (02) 931-4138, or email erpo@webmail.csc.gov.ph.

Civil Service Commission shines bright in the governance pathway

Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chairman Francisco T. Duque III (right) receives the Commission’s
third Silver Trailblazer Award from the Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA) Chairman Jesus P. Estanislao (left) and ISA President
Francisco C. Eizmendi Jr. (center). CSC was given the same award first for trailblazing the Performance Governance System (PGS)
Compliance stage in Oct. 2011 and a second time in March 2013 for garnering a high performance report rating in the Public Governance Forum.

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) received its third Governance Trailblazer Award for its exceptional performance towards good governance through the Performance Governance System (PGS).

CSC Chairman Francisco T. Duque III presented the Commission’s accomplishments, milestones, and breakthroughs in a public revalida for its Proficiency in the PGS and garnered a score of 8.81 over 10.

The Governance Trailblazer Award is conferred to government agencies or units that garner a score of 8.5 to 9.2 in the public revalida or performance report.

CSC received its first Silver Trailblazer Award in October 2011 when it aced the public revalida for the Compliance stage, garnering a high score of 9.03 over 10. The second Silver Trailblazer Award was conferred in March 2013 for CSC’s high performance report rating in the Public Governance Forum.

The Commission began its governance journey in 2010 when it adopted the PGS, a local adaptation of Norton and Kaplan’s revolutionary Balanced Scorecard system as advocated by the Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA).

There are four stages in the PGS governance pathway, namely, Initiation, Compliance,Proficiency, and Institutionalization. The PGS translates the organization’s vision into strategies through scorecards cascaded to the different levels of the organization.

“CSC is firm in executing the strategies which direct all systems, processes, and programs to attain the targets and performance commitments indicated in its enterprise scorecard,” said CSC Chairman Francisco T. Duque III.

“The results of the public presentation of the CSC’s performance gains were impressive that the examining panel decided to confer the Silver Trailblazer Award. This is a significant accomplishment and I wish to congratulate you for it,” noted ISA Chairman Jesus P. Estanislao.

The CSC is geared towards completing the fourth and final stage of the PGS, Institutionalization, in 2014.

Civil Service Institute passes ISO certification audit

The Civil Service Institute (CSI), the research and training arm of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) for human resource and organization development,
has been recommended for ISO 9001:2008 certification after it passed a third-party audit.